Musical stringed instrument



2 sheets sheet l zt '/ATTORNEY.

z v u S a Jan. 19, 1937. c. T. sAMUELsoN MUSICAL STRINGED INSTRUMENT Filed Deo. 15. 1934 Jan. 19, 1937.

c. T. SAMUELSQN 2,068,078

MUS I CAL STRINGED INSTRUMENT Filed Dec. 15, 1934 y2 Sheets-Sheet 2 207 Mm lf Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE MUSICAL STRINGED INSTRUMENT Charles T. Samuelson, Beaumont, Tex.

Application December 15, 1934, Serial No. 757,662

4 Claims.

tory weight members and otherwise modified sothat the tones produced thereby are very materially inodied and improved, while at the same time the cost of equipping such a sound box with such vibratory Weights is relatively negligible and the appearance of the modified Sound box is externally the same as the standard sound box of such instrument. Further objects of my invention will hereinafter appear.

Heretofore, as I am well aware, in an endeavor to increase and refine or otherwise irnprove the tone of the musical instrument of the viol class, it has been proposed to employ so-called resonator members, such for example as disclosed in Patent No. 1,711,386, wherein a plurality of wooden strips of differing lengths that are attuned to a predetermined scale are` mounted on a carrier bar which is disposed intermediate the to'p and bottom of the sound box of a violin. Or again, as disclosed in Patent No. 1,798,048, it has been proposed to dispose intermediate the top and bottom of the sound box of a violin, a plurality of bowl amplifying elements which are of different vibratile frequencies. Moreover, it has also, as set forth in Patent Nos. 224,834, 1,769,304 and 1,635,502, been proposed to provide sound bars or ribs that were either integral with the top of the sound box and or else are separately formed and subsequently attached to the bottom o-f the top of the sound box, such ribs or bars being in continuous contact with the top of the sound box. Likewise, in said latter patent, in addition to such sound bars, a supplemental bar, which is spaced intermediate its ends from the top and bottom of the sound box, is shown as being u equipped with enlarged terminal members which were secured directly to the bottom surface of the top of the sound box. The structural differences between the sound boxes employed in these prior art instruments and my improved sound box and the distinct advantages flowing therefrom are hereinafter set forth.

My invention is fully set forth and described in the following detail description and drawings forming a part thereof in which latter Figure 1 is a bottom View, partially in section of al violin equipped with my improved sound box;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section of one 0f the Weighted vibratory elements, together with a fragment of the sound box equipped therewith;

Fig. 4 is a similar vertical section of a modication showing a vibratory element that is integral With the sound box;

Fig. 5 is a detail fragmentary vertical section of a still further modified form of a vibratory element which is of conical configuration;

Fig. 6 is a similar section shown in the form of integral conical vibratory element;

Figs. '7 and 8 are fragmentary vertical detail sections showing two modied forms of vibratory elements having inserts of a heavier material; and

Fig. 9 is a bottom view, partially broken away, of a modification in which a curvilinear, in lieu of a rectilinear, sound bar is employed.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal vertical section of a modification, generally similar to Fig. 2, showing the Weighted vibratory elements located on the outside faces of the belly and back of the sound box.

Referring to the drawings and the construction shown therein, the reference numeral l designates the main body or sound box of a violin which is of any conventional design, 2 the neck, 3 the finger board carried thereby, ft the .so-called scroll, 5 the pegs, 6 the tail piece, 'l the tail pin, 3 the bridge, 9 the strings, It the waist portion of the sound box, il the bouts and I2, l2 the scroll-like sound holes respectively formed in the belly of the sound box. The instrument shown is a standard violin and both the belly and back of the sound box thereof have a plurality of what may be appropriately termed arcuate shoulders at both ends thereof.

My invention, which is especially adaptable to any musical stringed instrument of the Viol class, comprises the equipment of the sound box with specially arranged vibrative weighted e weighted elements that are adjacent its ends.

The weighted members at the respective ends of the sound box are disposed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in groups of two members each on the inner surfaces of the belly and back thereof and the members I5 of the upper group are directly opposite the corresponding members l5 of the lower group and the position of each weighted element in these two groups is at the foci from which the particular arc of the nearest adjacent arcuate shoulder of the belly is described. At the other end of the sound box, the weighted elements are arranged in upper and lower groups of three members each, all of the members I6 of the upper group being secured to the inner face of the belly and all of the members I6 of the lower group being secured to the inner face of the back of the sound box. The members I6 of the upper group are likewise directly opposite to the corresponding members IB of the lower group and the end members of each of these two latter groups are positioned substantially at t-he foci from which the are of the nearest adjacent arcuate shoulder, of either the belly or back of the sound box, ls described, while the central member of each such group is disposed substantially centrally between the two terminal members, IIB or l5 and preferably somewhat out of rectilinear alignment therewith so that a line drawn through the centers of each of the weighted members of each such group will de scribe an are of large radius. Still another weighted element Il is also mounted on the inner face of the belly, being bisected by a sound bar, which may be either rectilinear as represented by the bar I8 in Fig., l or curvilinear as represented by the bar I8 in Fig. 9. Said weighted member Il is glued or otherwise cemented to the inner face of the belly to one side of the longitudinal median line thereof and is transversely substantially in alignment with the mid-point of said sound holes, I2, I2.

A spacing dowel pin, as the shouldered post I9, preferably interconnects the belly and back of the sound box, the same being positioned substantially in transverse alignment with said weighted member I?, but to the other side of the said longitudinal median line of the sound box.

Said vibrative weighted elements may be of various configurations either beingi substantially disc-like, such as the elements I5, i5', i6, I6 and II shown in Figs. l, 2, 3, and 9 or the element 20 shown in 4, or conical configuration such as the elements 2l, 22, 23 and 24 shown in 5 to 8 inclusive. Furthermore these vibrative weighted elements may either comprise separate members that are glued or otherwise united to the respective belly and back of the sound box, such for example as elements shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 7, or, if desired, such elements may be formed integral with the belly and back of the sound box respectively, such for example as the disc-like integral lug shown in Fig. 4 or the pyramidal protuberance shown in Fig. 6 or the truncated cone-like protuberance shown in Fig. 8. The vibratory weighted members, whether formed integral with a portion of the sound box or formed as separate members adhesively united to the sound box, may also be provided with insets of a different material, preferably for example a plastic moldable material as hard rubber or a phenol condensation product or some metallic material such as lead or zinc. These insets are desirably constructed in the form of buttons or studs, such as the studs 25, 25' shown in Figs. 7 and 3 rcspectively, which may either have a tight fit with weighted elements carrying the same or may be cemented thereto.

In Fig. 10, in which is disclosed a modification wherein the weighted vibratory elements are located externally of the sound box, the rei'- erence numerals 3D, 3G and SI, SI designate groups of weight members corresponding in number and arrangement to the groups l5 and IB, I6 respectively, except that these groups 30, 3U and 3l, 3| re mounted externally of the sound box. Also the weighted member 32 corresponds in position to the member II but is mounted on the outer face of the belly.

As will be noted from the foregoing description, the amplifying weighted elements are preferably of uniform size throughout, but if such elements are not of uniform size, it is especially desirable that the terminal members of each .group be of similar size and vibrative capacity with respect to each other. Also as shown the vibration-dampening bar i3 or I8', while it pref erably intersects the cent-ral amplifying element Il',l is free at its ends or in other words it does not actually engage either of the terminal amplifying elements I5 or l5, since otherwise the results achieved by employing my improved arrangement of amplifying elements and vibration-dampening bar would be eriously impaired. Preferably such vibration-dampening bar extends through a groove in the central weight l1, the same either having a forced fit therewith or being glued or otherwise united to and also being cemented or glued along its top surface to the bottom surface of the belly of the sound box.

Both the size of weighted elements employed as tone amplifying and modifying means for the sound box of a musical instrument and also the number of the same so employed may vary due to the size and shape of' the sound box and the character of the instrument to which the same are applied and, in the case of a violin, in particular, it has been found to be especially desirable that two groups of such weighted elements be employed on each of the inner surfaces of the belly and back of the sound box and that the same be disposed outside of the waist portion of the instrument, or in other words, in the area where the sound box has its two greatest widths, as in these areas the vibrations are the most ctive. Furthermore, while it is far proferable, particularly because of the appearance thereof, that the weighted vibratory elements be positioned on the inside of the belly and on the back of the instrument respectively, they may, il desired, be .located (see Fig. l0) in corresponding positions to that herein described on theI outside face of 'the belly and the back of the sound box and in some instances it may be desirable to mount such weighted elements on both the inside and outside faces of the belly and also on both the inside and outside faces of the back of the sound box.

The vibration dampening bar I8 herein described is intended to replace the base beam which is commonly positioned under the belly of a violin or similar stringed instrument and preferably, as shown, its bottom edge is of arcuate configuration while the top edge conforms to the contour of the portion of the inner face of the belly engaged thereby.

While I preferably employ Weighted elements formed of Wood, which may be either integrally formed on the belly and back of the instrument in the manner shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 8, or Which elements may constitute separate members that are glued or otherwise cemented to the belly and back of the instrument, such elements may be entirely of metal or other material, as a plastic composition, or non-metallic composition, such as horn or ivory or, as shown in the constructions illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the major portion of such elements may be formed partly of one material and have an inset of another material.

When such an inset is employed, it becomes a simple matter to either slightly or even to very materially vary the weight and size of the weighted element Without substituting an entirely new element, merely by changing the size or weight of the inset and by correspondingly altering the recess in the main portion of the weighted element so as to adapt the same to the size of the particular inset to be fitted thereinto.

Among the advantages of my improved tone` amplifying and tone modifying means are the cheap cost of same, the simplicity and ease of application thereof to standard musical instruments and more especially to low-priced instruments and the remarkable improvement in the brilliancy, power and expressiveness of the tones of the instrument in which the same are incorporated. From actual test of low-priced violins to which such means as herein described have been applied, it has been found that the quality and brilliance and power of the tones thereof are remarkably increased and modified to an extent that the same compare favorably with those of rare, high-priced violins. This also applies to other stringed musical instruments, especially those of the viol class.

Figs. 1 and 2 may be considered as scale drawings insofar as the relative size of the respective sound bar and Weighted elements with respect to the size of the sound box are concerned, since a violin equipped with a sound bar and weighted elements of the shape and of the relative size therein shown has been found to function with eminent satisfaction and to possess the various advantages as herein set forth over a similar violin which was not so equipped.

Various changes and departures from the details of construction as herein described can be` made Without departing from the spirit of my invention as embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by United States Letters Patent is:

l. In a sound box of a musical instrument of the viol type, the combination comprising a belly member, a back member and an interconnecting side wall, said belly having two opposing generally arcuate shoulders at each end thereof and a waist portion of reduced width intermediate the said ends, a plurality of groups of Weighted elements carried by and rigidly secured to said belly, the outermost elements of each of such groups being disposed substantially at the center from which the arc of the nearest adjacent arcuate shoulder of such belly is described.

2. In a sound box of a stringed musical instrument of the viol type, the combination comprising a belly member, a back member and an interconnecting side Wall, said belly member and said back member each having two opposing generally arcuate shoulder portions at each end thereof and having a waist portion of reduced width intermediate the said ends, a plurality of groups of weighted elements carried by and rigdly secured to said belly and said back, the outermost element of each group being disposed substantially at the center from which the arc nearest adjacent one of said arcuate shoulders is described.

3. In a sound box of a stringed musical instrument of the viol type, the combination comprising a belly member, a back member and an interconnecting side wall, said belly member and said back member each having two opposing, generally arcuate shoulders at each end thereof and having a waist portion of reduced width intermediate the said ends, a plurality of groups of weighted elements carried by and rigidly secured to said belly and said back respectively, the outermost element of each group being disposed substantially at the center from which the arc of the nearest adjacent one of said arcuate shoulders is described and a sound bar secured to said belly and extending in proximity to each of the terminal groups thereon but being out of direct Contact With any member of either group.

ll. In a sound box of a stringed musical instrument of the viol type, the combination comprising a belly member, a back member and an interconnecting side wall, said belly member and said back member each having two opposing generally arcuate shoulder portions at each end thereof and having a waist portion of reduced width intermediate the said ends, a plurality of groups of weighted elements carried by and rigidly secured to said belly and said back respectively, the outermost element of each group being disposed substantially at the center from which the arc of the nearest adjacent one of said arcuate shoulders is described, a sound bar secured to said bellyr and extending in proximity to each of the terminal groups thereon but being out of direct contact with any member of either group, and still another weighted element carried on the inner face of said belly and closely associated with said bar at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

CHARLES T. SAMUELSON. 

